Latest news with #donorconception
National Post
3 days ago
- General
- National Post
Donor Sibling Registry Celebrates 25 Years of Connecting Families
Article content Article content NEDERLAND, Colo. — The Donor Sibling Registry (DSR), the world's only global platform of its kind, connecting individuals conceived through sperm, egg, or embryo donation, proudly celebrates its 25th anniversary. The DSR has been instrumental in helping parents, donor-conceived people, donors, and their families find each other, fostering a global community built on connection, understanding, and shared genetic heritage. Article content Article content Founded in 2000 by Wendy Kramer and her son Ryan, the DSR was born from their journey to connect with Ryan's donor family. What began as a simple Yahoo message board has evolved into a powerful resource and global movement, facilitating almost 30,000 connections that have reshaped the lives of donor-conceived people and their families. The DSR, a 501(c)3 non-profit, has been at the forefront of advocacy, education, and research in the donor conception field. Article content Kramer explains, 'When we started the DSR, people had no idea they had the right to be curious, search for, find, and define their unique donor-family relationships.' The DSR's success is a testament to the growing desire for connection and information within the donor-conceived community. In an era of increasing genetic awareness, the DSR has become a vital platform for individuals seeking to understand their origins, explore their genetic connections, share medical information, and build relationships with their biological relatives. With almost 100,000 members, the DSR remains a trusted resource for families navigating the complex landscape of donor conception. Article content With DNA testing and direct-to-consumer genetic services becoming mainstream, the importance of ethical donor practices and open communication has never been more critical. With the evolution of reproductive technologies and a growing societal understanding of diverse family structures, the DSR remains committed to providing a safe and supportive space for connection, education, and advocacy. Article content 'We're incredibly proud of the work we've done over the past 25 years,' says co-founder Ryan Kramer. 'But our work is far from over. We'll continue to champion the rights of donor-conceived people, promote ethical practices within the fertility industry, and foster a world where everyone has access to their genetic ancestry, medical history, and close biological relatives.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Here's how to teach youngsters about ‘donor children'
The Human Fertility and Embryology Authority recently predicted that by 2030 there'll be an average of 'one or two donor-conceived children in every English state primary school'. And yet while there are plenty of picture books on the theme of donor conception – My Mummy Made Me; Happy Together; You, Me, We – stories for older readers remain relatively thin on the ground. Kristina Rahim is the mother of two donor-conceived daughters, and The Doughnut Club, her engaging debut novel, was written with the intention of helping donor children of nine years old and above to feel better understood. The story, aimed at readers of nine and above, is narrated by Quinn, a 12-year-old who has two mothers. 'You probably know that to make a baby, you need a sperm and an egg. Mum and Mama were missing the sperm part, so they needed a donor for that,' Quinn explains. And while Quinn and her brother Olly have the same sperm donor, she's the biological child of 'Mama' and Olly's the biological child of 'Mum'. 'I call Olly my brother,' Quinn tells us, 'because that's what he is. Technically he's my half-brother, but I'd never call him that.' Theirs is a secure, loving family – but at home, Quinn sometimes feels like the odd one out. She's the only one with red hair and green eyes; and while her mothers and her brother enjoy daredevil sports, she would always sooner be reading a book: 'I appear to be the only one who likes things slow and steady instead of fast and furious!' When the story begins, the family is setting off on holiday to the North Devon coast, where Quinn fears she'll be forced to spend her time rock-climbing and surfing. 'Holidays are meant to be relaxing aren't they? Not when you're a member of the Parker family.' So when Mum and Mama choose the holiday to reveal that she and Olly have 16 donor siblings, spread around the world, Quinn determines to track them down, hoping to find a soulmate. 'Who knows, some of them might agree with me that scrambling across a bouldering wall will be zero fun.' But as she begins her detective work, she starts to fear the most extraordinary coincidence: could one of her donor siblings be the priggish Monika, whose family is staying at the same hotel? For some young readers, not even Quinn's no-nonsense explanations will fully demystify the idea of donor conception. But Rahim weaves those complex matters into a mystery with an absorbing plot, driven by its plucky, warm-hearted heroine. 'It's annoying sometimes, having to explain the two-mum thing to new people, but apart from that, our family is our family,' says Quinn – and that's all we need to understand.
